Vapor degreaser



Dec. 10, 1 957 R. WI L EGLER 2,816,065

VAPOR DEGREASOR I Fil'e'd-April 18, 1955 Fla.

' 'c'Q M (Ittorneg Zmnentoi:

United Sttes Patent VAPOR. DEGREASERl:

Raymond W. Legl'er, Erie, Pa.

Application April" 18, 1955, Serial No. 501,945

2 Claims. (Cl. 202-170) This invention relates to degreasers and moreparticularly to degreasers for removing foreign substances from articlesof manufacture.

in degreasers made according to previous designs, the vapor used in thedegreaser was heated and the vapor passed up over the work and throughcooling coils which were cooled by water which flowed through thecooling coils and then wasted. This condensed the vapor and caused it tofall back into the tank. It is difficult to obtain low temperaturecooling water in some localities. In other localities, water shortagesprevail and it is desirable to conserve water. In the present invention,a refrigerated jacket is provided around the outside of the upper edgeof the tank which cools the inside surface of the tank and as vaporflows up from the heated reservoir, it engages the refrigerated surfaceand is condensed and falls back into a trough which conveys thecondensate through a refrigerated pipe and thence into a reservoir tankfrom which it spills over into a heated tank.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a degreaserwhich overcomes the defects in prior degreasers and, further, to providea degreaser which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture,and simple and efficient to use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a degreaser wherein thevapor is condensed by means of a refrigeration system which enables ahigher temperature to be used in boiling the solvent without any greaterresulting loss of solvent than is ordinarily used in degreasers.

Another obect of the invention is to provide a degreaser wherein thevapor is condensed by a refrigeration device and a novel type of bafileis disposed above the refrigeration device whereby the vapor is directedonto the refrigerated walls.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consistsof the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes maybe made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a top view of a degreaser; and

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Now with more specific reference to the drawing, a degreaser 1 isdisclosed wherein a tank 2 has a partition or bafile 3 intermediate thelength thereof. The partition 3 extends upward to a point just below atrough 4 and approximately midway of the height of the degreaser 1. Thetrough 4 forms a channel around the inner periphery of the degreasertank 2 and has a side wall 5 and a bottom wall 6. The trough 4 isconnected to a reservoir 8 through a pipe 10 which is connected to thebottom of the trough 4 and flows through the pipe 10 and dischargesthrough an opening 111. A jacket 12 surrounds Z ,8 l 6 ,06 5 Patented.Dec. 10, 1957 the: pipe-10 at a: point thereon: outside the tank; 2 andis. connected toa refrigeratiomsystem;1-1- through pipes 9 and- 40;. Thecondensate flowing; from; the trough.4:to the. pipe 11).: is] cooled.before; it. discharges; through. the opening; 1 1 1: into the. reservoin8.. l ftth'emeservoin portion 8 fills up}. the: liquid-.1 therein:willspill"v overdthe: top; edge 14*of. baflie 3- andi into; a:heatingjportioni 16. Electrical heating elements 17 are disposedrin the:heatingmortion 16--to.'heatthe.- liquid toz boil the-liquid;18 in the:lower portion thereof.

A duct 20 havingasiderporti'om211,-an-uppenportionr22, and a lowerportion 23 is welded to the outside edge of the tank 2 so that theportion 24 of the inside of the tank 2 is constantly cooled to a lowtemperature. A plate like shelf 26 is welded to the side walls along theinner surface at 27 and forms a shelf around the inner periphery thereofjust above the refrigerated portion 24. Vapor boiled off of the heatingportion 16 in the direction of the arrows engages the cooled portion 24and is condensed and falls down into the trough 4. The convectioncurrents due to the condensing of the fluids will be in the direction ofthe arrows and, therefore, little or no vapor will escape from the tank2. The shelf 26 forms a belt along the inner periphery of the tank 2and, therefore, directs the fluid 18 into engagement with the cold walldownward into the trough 4. A container 30 of parts to be degreased canbe supported at one end thereof on the upper edge 14 and the other endcan be supported on the edge of a bracket 29.

The refrigeration coils 41 are disposed in the duct 20 and are connectedto the pipe 40 which is the gas line from the refrigeration system 11.The refrigeration system 11 is made up of a conventional motor drivencompressor, liquid line 9, and gas line 40. The coils 41 connectedbetween the line 40 and the line 9 constitute the evaporator of therefrigeration system 11 and the compressor has associated therewith theusual expansion valves.

In operation, the reservoir 8 is filled to overflowing with solvent suchas trichloroethylene. The solvent from the reservoir portion 8 spillsover into the heating portion 16 and is heated by the heating coil 17and vapors are boiled off.

Parts to be degreased are put in the basket 30 and the vapors pass upthrough the basket 30, condensing thereon and washing the grease andother foreign materials there from. Any vapors which escape past thebasket 30 of parts will blow upward and the vapors along the edge of thecontainer 3!) will pass by the cooled edge 24 and be cooled, causingthem to condense and fall back into the trough 4. This will set upconvection currents which will draw the vapor down below in thedirection of the arrows. The shelf 26 will help direct the vapors intoengagement with the cold surface 24. As pointed out above, therefrigeration unit 11 will be operatively connected to the duct 20 bymeans of the refrigeration coils and the duct 20 itself will be filledwith some low freezing liquid such as ethylene glycol. The refrigerationpipes are likewise connected to the units which help to further condensethe liquid 18 as it returns to the reservoir 8.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferredpractical forms but the structure shown is capable of modificationwithin a range of equivalent-s without departing from the inventionwhich is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with theappended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A vapor degreaser comprising a tank, the lower portion of said tankhaving a partition therein extending upward from the bottom thereof andterminating between the top and bottom and dividing said tank into aheated coil, a trough attached to the inside of the wall of said tankdisposed at a height intermediate the height of said partition and saidduct, conduit means connecting said trough to said reservoir portion,and refrigeration means :adapted to cool condensate flowing through saidconduit from said trough to a container.

2. The degreaser recited in claim 1 wherein a narrow plate shaped shelfis disposed around the inside of 'said tank at a greater height thansaid refrigeration duct.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Savage Nov. 12, 1935 Dinley Apr. 7, 1936 WoifiOct. 13, 1936 Savage Aug. 24, 1937 Seaton Nov. 5, 1940 Biakeslee Dec. 3,1940 Helfenstein Q. Feb. 6, 1945 Boss Aug. 24, 1948 OTHER REFERENCES 15page 16797.

1. A VAPOR DEGREASED COMPRISING A TANK, THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID TANKHAVING A PARTITION THEREIN EXTENDING UPWARD FROM THE BOTTOM THEREOF ANDTERMINATING BETWEENEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM AND DIVIDING SAID TANK INTO AHEATED PORTION AND A RESERVIOR PORTION, A DUCT FORMED AROUND THE UPPEREDGE OF SAID TANK AROUND THE OUTSIDE THEREOF, SAID DUCT ADAPTED TOCONTAIN A LIQUID HAVING A LOW FREEZING POINT, REFRIGERATING COIL IN SAIDDUCT, A REFRIGERATION COMPRESSOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAIDREFRIGERATION COIL, A TROUGH ATTACHED TO THE INSIDE OF THE WALL OF SAIDDTANK DISPOSED AT A HEIGHT INTERMEDIATE THE HEIGHT OF SAID PARTITION ANDSAID DUCT, CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING SAID TROUGH TO SAID RESERVIORPORTION, AND REFRIGERATION MEANS ADAPTED TO COOL CONDENSATE FLOWINGTHROUGH SAID CONDUIT FROM SAID TROUGH TO SID CONTAINER.